Wild Rice Mushroom Soup

This creamy flavor filled soup is perfect for all the feels on a cold rainy or winter day.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

Serves 4

  • Olive oil, ~ 1 tbsp

  • 4-5 chicken thighs, skinless boneless

  • 2 quarts chicken stock

  • 1 cup yellow onion, medium diced

  • 1 cup carrots, sliced 1/4” thick

  • 4 stalks celery stalks, sliced 1/4” thick

  • 1 cup shiitake and trumpet mushrooms, sliced 1/4” thick

  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning

  • Salt and Pepper, to taste

  • 1/2 box orzo

  • 2 lemons (usually ~1/2 lemon per serving)

  • *if want a lil extra kick, add 1 tsp crushed red peppers

  • Large pot or dutch oven

Directions:

  • Prep work:

    • Slice and dice all veggies. Think about cutting them so they can fit onto a spoon (cuz its soup!)

    • I’d suggest making separate piles or bowls for everything!

  • The Soup:

    • Turn on the pot on med-high heat and add the olive oil. Once begins to shimmer, add the onion and begin to sauté. After about 1-2 min, add the carrots and celery. Add a pinch of salt to the pot to help draw moisture out. Sauté and about 3 min. Add the mushrooms and all the Italian Seasoning. Add another 1-2 pinches of salt. All the mushrooms to cook down a bit. You want some browning to occur, but make sure its not burning.

    • Add the stock to the pot and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. (helps if the stock is already warm to save time and then effect on the veggies!) Once simmering, add the chicken to pot and cover with a lid. Allow to cook for about 8 min. NEVER LET THE CHICKEN BOIL!!! (check notes*)

    • After 8 min, remove the chicken and allow to rest on cutting board. Bring the soup up to a rolling boil and add the orzo. Should take another 8-10 min. Make sure to srape the bottom as the orzo has a tendency to stick sometimes.

    • Let the chicken rest for 5-10 min before cutting. Cut into bite size pieces ~1/2” cubes. Once the pasta is ready, remove the pot from heat and add the chicken back to the pot and mix. Taste and added salt & pepper as needed.

    • When serving: Add the soup to a bowl and serve the lemon on the side. This way each individual can squeeze their desired amount.

  • Serve & Enjoy!

Some Notes:

This has become one of my most go to recipes. It’s an absolute comfort food for my me and my partner. Its easy, takes about 30 minutes and is so so delicious.

I originally found this recipe from saltandlavender, but have spruced it up a bit to make it my own and fit my preferences.

Some tips about the recipe:

I usually make my own chicken stock from scratch. It’s easy to do, is far more flavor-able than store bought stock, more cost effective, and becomes a staple in the freezer for all things cooking. If you want more information on making your own stock, find my super easy stock recipe.

Slice ALL your vegetables before you even start. This makes the entire process so much faster and the cooking process far easier so you’re not running around your kitchen looking for one ingredients while the vegetables start burning. Nobody wants that. Have your chicken ready to go and your orzo at the ready.

When cooking the chicken in the soup, NEVER let it boil! Again: NEVER LET THE CHICKEN BOIL!! This was something I did not know was a bad thing. Have you ever had chicken thats super dry and stringy even though you cooked it in liquid? And you wonder how thats even possible? I could dive into the science behind why this happens, but basically boiling chicken causes it to cook to quickly and it becomes tough, dry, and stringy. Let your chicken simmer for about 8 minutes then TAKE IT OUT of the pot before you boil the orzo. Yes you will actually remove the chicken and let it rest while you finish the soup.

Allowing the chicken to rest also lets the meat to relax and give you better texture and flavor. The worst chicken is dry chicken, and yes it can happen even when cooked in liquid!